Negotiators from the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union for the proposed regulation on gas storage failed to reach a provisional agreement at the end of the first session of interinstitutional negotiations (trilogues) on Tuesday 17 May, despite 15 hours of discussions.
The negotiations, which began the previous day (Monday) at around 5pm, stalled over a request from the Parliament to add a clear reference to ending the EU’s dependence on states that threaten its energy sovereignty, a source told EUROPE.
The negotiators were otherwise believed to be in agreement on almost all the other points of the text.
While the European Commission’s proposal would require EU countries to ensure that underground gas storage facilities on their territory are filled to at least 80% of their capacity by 1 November 2022, and then to 90% on 1 November of subsequent years (see EUROPE 12917/7), the co-legislators reportedly agreed to set this obligation to 85% by 2022 (the Parliament wanted it to be 90%).
The Parliament also reportedly accepted the Council’s proposal to limit the filling target for countries where storage facilities are located to 35% of their annual gas consumption over the last 5 years. The aim is to prevent EU countries with large storage capacity from being disproportionately affected by the filling obligation.
The co-legislators were also thought to have agreed to introduce derogations for Malta, Cyprus and Ireland, as long as these countries are not directly interconnected to the gas system of another Member State, as well as a clause that the regulation will cease to apply by the end of 2025 at the latest (‘sunset clause’).
Member States’ ambassadors to the EU (Coreper) will meet on Wednesday 18 May to discuss the outcome of the trilogue with a view to reaching an agreement with the Parliament by Thursday 19 May. (Original version in French by Damien Genicot)